Engineering Application 1: Industrial Production of Magnesium Magnesium is an alkaline earth metal and eight most abundant element in the earth's crust. The sea contains trillion tonnes of magnesium, and this is the source of much of the 300,000 tonnes now produced annually. Magnesium has the melting point at 650.0 oC and boiling point at 1107.0 oC. The image show the industrial production of Magnesium.
Engineering Application 1: Industrial Production of Magnesium
Magnesium is an alkaline earth metal and eight most abundant element in the earth's crust. The sea contains trillion tonnes of magnesium, and this is the source of much of the 300,000 tonnes now produced annually. Magnesium has the melting point at 650.0 oC and boiling point at 1107.0 oC. The image show the industrial production of Magnesium.
These are the main steps in the production of Magnesium:
1. Dolomite CaMg(CO3)2 is crushed, roasted and mixed with sea water in large tanks. Magnesium hydroxides settles to the bottom of the tanks.
2. Heating and mining in coke and reacting with chlorine, then produces molten magnesium chloride.
3. The magnesium chloride can be electrolyzed, releasing magnesium which floats to the surface.
A novel method for obtaining magnesium from sea water involves several reactions. Write the balance step for each reaction.
a. The first step is the decomposition of solid calcium carbonate from seashells to form solid calcium oxide and gaseous carbon dioxide.
b. The second step is the formation of solid calcium hydroxide as the only product from the reaction of the solid calcium oxide with liquid water.
c. Solid calcium hydroxide is then added to the seawater, reacting with dissolved magnesium chloride to yield solid magnesium hydroxide and aqueous calcium chloride.
d. The solid magnesium hydroxide is added to a hydrochloric acid solution,
producing dissolved magnesium chloride and liquid water.
e. Finally, the magnesium chloride is melted and electrolyzed to yield liquid
magnesium metal and diatomic chlorine gas.
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